Despite questions about whether the Democratic governor had gone beyond his constitutionally granted authority, the Illinois Senate on Tuesday accepted his changes to one bill and rejected his changes to another. The bill that passed would expand health insurance availability for young adults, and the bill that failed would have allowed some disabled veterans to avoid paying property taxes.

The House already accepted the governor’s amendatory vetoes on both measures, so Senate approval was needed for them to take effect.

In both cases, Blagojevich dramatically altered — and expanded — legislation that the General Assembly sent him. That’s why some lawmakers say he’s violating the state constitution and setting up a court battle.

But when the governor unveiled “Rewrite to Do Right” earlier this month, he made it clear he has a different view. He said he was changing the bills “to make them better for the people of our state.”

Expect more rewriting and righting soon. The deadline for the governor to act on dozens of bills lawmakers sent him is this week.

Head Scratcher

Emil Jones is leaving the state Senate next year. His replacement? Emil Jones.

The Senate President, Emil Jones Jr., announced last Monday he was retiring in January after a 35-year career in the state legislature. His decision set off a scramble among Senate Democrats to take over the powerful presidential role next year.

But Jones also engineered handing his 14th District Senate seat to his 30-year-old son, Emil III. The younger Jones has never held public office before and now works for Jones ally Blagojevich’s Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

The elder Jones shrugged off reporters’ questions about nepotism when Emil III was put on the November ballot for the seat Thursday by local Democratic committeemen in Chicago.

“I respect fathers who take care of their children,” Emil Jr. said. “So would I support my son? Sure I’m going to support my son.”

Then the would-be state senator addressed his prime position.

“I did not get in through the back door. I am officially on the ballot and will run in the election on November 4,” Emil III told reporters.

To top it off, young Emil’s election opponent is literally a clown.

Ray Wardingley is running as a Republican in the overwhelmingly Democratic district. He’s run multiple unsuccessful campaigns and used to perform as “Spanky the Clown” for charity work, although his Web site plays down those parts of his background.

His campaign mantra? “Deliver Us From Emil.”

Quote of Note

“I have no idea of the governor’s logic on this,” Sen. Dan Rutherford, R-Chenoa, said Tuesday during Senate debate of one of his bills, which Blagojevich rewrote to give a property tax break to some wounded veterans. Rutherford’s bill originally would have extended the duration of a tax-increment financing district in Downs.

Number to Know

2: The number of public visits Illinois U.S. Sen. Barack Obama has made to Springfield since getting in the race for the White House early last year, after Saturday’s rally at the Old State Capitol.

Coming Up

Democrats from Illinois and throughout the country converge on Denver for the party’s weeklong national convention, culminating in officially naming Obama the Democratic presidential candidate.